Science continues to show great interest in stem cells, holding to the vision that stem cells offer amazing promise for new medical therapies. This is because stem cells, also known as the body’s “master cells,” are the cells from which all other cells with specialized functions are generated: “Stem cells have the ability to build every tissue in the human body, hence have great potential for future therapeutic uses in tissue regeneration and repair.”[1]
Stem Cell Therapy
From 1956, when American physician Edward Donnall Thomas performed the first successful bone marrow transplant with donor stem cells from an identical twin to today, the understanding of stem cells has evolved and expanded immensely to the point where their usage has become a normal procedure in certain areas of medicine. “Today, doctors routinely use stem cells that come from bone marrow or blood in transplant procedures to treat patients with cancer and disorders of the blood and immune system.”[2]
The Mayo Clinic believes that regenerative medicine (the use of healthy cells to replace diseased or damaged tissues using stem cell therapies) might also benefit those with “…spinal cord injuries, type 1 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, stroke, burns, cancer and osteoarthritis.”[3] But although the FDA has yet to give its approval to use stem cells to treat any neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and orthopedic conditions, the FDA does state that, “Stem cell therapies may offer the potential to treat diseases or conditions for which few treatments exist.”[4]
Stem Cells and Lasers
Researchers have found that lasers have a definite positive effect on stem cells, enhancing both stem cell proliferation and differentiation (the process whereby a stem cell becomes a specialized cell, such as a blood cell or a nerve cell). Using Laser Therapy as an adjunct to stem cell therapy accelerates tissue repair and regeneration, making these two therapies a winning combination that should ensure the success of treatment!
Benefits of Lasers
For decades, lasers have proven to produce beneficial results in the human body. The photons of light that lasers produce are readily absorbed through the skin, penetrating deeply into tissue and converting light into signals that induce a wide range of beneficial biochemical changes in the cells. “This process results in beneficial therapeutic outcomes including but not limited to the alleviation of pain or inflammation, immunomodulation, and pro-motion of wound healing and tissue regeneration.”[5]
Lasers Benefit Stem Cells
Because non-invasive Laser Therapy has “…analgesic, vasodilating and anti-inflammatory properties.”[6] benefitting key elements of the tissue repair/wound healing process, this makes it a beneficial adjunctive therapy to stem cell therapy. Through Laser Therapy, “Stem cells can be activated, allowing increased tissue repair and healing.”[7]
[Laser Therapy is also known as “LLLT” or “low level Laser Therapy.” It is a common acronym used to describe the utilization of lasers for clinical therapy. It is not unique to any specific class of laser. Laser Therapy is also known as “PBM” or “photobiomodulation.”]
Multiple scientific studies on pubmed.gov conclude that laser therapy/LLLT/PBM, “improves the efficiency of the stem cells.”[8]
- “Multiple studies have reported that stem cell proliferation is improved by photobiomodulation…”[9]
- Studies report that infrared light generated by lasers can “…stimulate the proliferation of mesenchymal and cardiac stem cells.”[10]
- A study investigating the effect of visible laser light on the proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) found that, “…Illumination of the MSCs resulted in almost twofold increase in cell number as compared to controls….The present study clearly demonstrates the ability of broadband visible light illumination to promote proliferation of MSCs in vitro. These results may have an important impact on wound healing.”[11]
- “It can be concluded that the laser therapy positively influences the in vitro proliferation of stem cells studied…“[12]
- A key area of interest concerning PBM is its effect on susceptible stem cells, progenitor cells, and its potential in enhancing differentiation, which in turn improves the healing rate of tissues.”[13]
The Bottom Line
Studies show that Laser Therapy has a very positive effect on stem cells. Therefore, Laser Therapy used in conjunction with stem cell therapy should initiate better outcomes. So if you or a loved one plan to undergo FDA-approved stem cell therapy, consider adding Laser Therapy to your healing regimen to accelerate tissue repair and enhance the survival, proliferation, and differentiation of the injected stem cells.
And if you are a chiropractor, physical therapist, acupuncturist, or podiatrist, consider adding Laser Therapy to your treatment menu. Lasers can be used by all types of health practitioners to treat acute and chronic pain, reduce inflammation, and improve nerve function and vascular activity, as well as accelerate tissue repair and cell growth —improving the health and well-being of all of your patients. The purchase of a single laser can make a big difference in your clinic! Contact Rob Berman at Berman Partners at 860-707-4220, or complete the contact us form to learn more.
Citations
[1] Biehl JK, Russell B. Introduction to stem cell therapy. J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2009 Mar-Apr;24(2):98-103; quiz 104-5. doi: 10.1097/JCN.0b013e318197a6a5. PMID: 19242274; PMCID: PMC4104807, p. 1.
[2] https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/fda-warns-about-stem-cell-therapies, p. 2 .
[3] https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/bone-marrow-transplant/in-depth/stem-cells/art-20048117.
[4] https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/fda-warns-about-stem-cell-therapies, p. 1.
[5] Tsai SR, Hamblin MR. Biological effects and medical applications of infrared radiation. J Photochem Photobiol B. 2017 May;170:197-207. doi: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2017.04.014. Epub 2017 Apr 13. PMID: 28441605; PMCID: PMC5505738, p.2.
[6] Rashidi S, Yadollahpour A, Mirzaiyan M. Low Level Laser Therapy for the Treatment of Chronic Wound: Clinical Considerations. Biomed Pharmacol J 2015;8(2), p. 1124.
[7] Avci P, Gupta A, Sadasivam M, Vecchio D, Pam Z, Pam N, Hamblin MR. Low-level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) in skin: stimulating, healing, restoring. Semin Cutan Med Surg. 2013 Mar;32(1):41-52. PMID: 24049929; PMCID: PMC4126803, p. 1.
[8] Dompe C, Moncrieff L, Matys J, Grzech-Leśniak K, Kocherova I, Bryja A, Bruska M, Dominiak M, Mozdziak P, Skiba THI, Shibli JA, Angelova Volponi A, Kempisty B, Dyszkiewicz-Konwińska M. Photobiomodulation-Underlying Mechanism and Clinical Applications. J Clin Med. 2020 Jun 3;9(6):1724. doi: 10.3390/jcm9061724. PMID: 32503238; PMCID: PMC7356229, p. 5.
[9] Ibid., p. 2.
[10] Tsai SR, Hamblin MR. Biological effects and medical applications of infrared radiation. J Photochem Photobiol B. 2017 May;170:197-207. doi: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2017.04.014. Epub 2017 Apr 13. PMID: 28441605; PMCID: PMC5505738, p.2.
[11] Lipovsky A, Oron U, Gedanken A, Lubart R. Low-level visible light (LLVL) irradiation promotes proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells. Lasers Med Sci. 2013 Jul;28(4):1113-7. doi: 10.1007/s10103-012-1207-z. Epub 2012 Sep 25. PMID: 23007630, Abstract.
[12] Ginani F, Soares DM, Barreto MP, Barboza CA. Effect of low-level laser therapy on mesenchymal stem cell proliferation: a systematic review. Lasers Med Sci. 2015 Nov;30(8):2189-94. doi: 10.1007/s10103-015-1730-9. Epub 2015 Mar 13. PMID: 25764448, Abstract.
[13] Dompe C, Moncrieff L, Matys J, Grzech-Leśniak K, Kocherova I, Bryja A, Bruska M, Dominiak M, Mozdziak P, Skiba THI, Shibli JA, Angelova Volponi A, Kempisty B, Dyszkiewicz-Konwińska M. Photobiomodulation-Underlying Mechanism and Clinical Applications. J Clin Med. 2020 Jun 3;9(6):1724. doi: 10.3390/jcm9061724. PMID: 32503238; PMCID: PMC7356229, p. 2.
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